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Marking a milestone Cause for celebrations

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When Bob Marwill formed The Cadence Group in 1985, the general contracting company

was small but focused. Fifteen employ-ees in Dallas, Austin and Houston offices concentrated on providing solutions in the retail, education and commercial construction industry markets. In ten years, the growing success of the company Marwill had created was enough to catch Jim McShane’s eye. Mc-Shane acquired the company in 1995 to form Cadence McShane Construction and brought in Neal Harper to serve as company president. After Marwill retired in 1999, the company continued to grow and land major projects, including Austin’s $400 million Riata Vista project and Dallas’

810,000-sf Park Lane project. The com-pany’s successful trajectory accelerated in 2012 when Will Hodges was named president and the company moved into its new Addison headquarters in 2014. This year, Cadence McShane Con-struction’s 135 employees are celebrat-ing the company’s biggest milestone to date. “In 2015 we celebrate a significant milestone of 30 years in business!” Hodg-es says. “We’re extremely proud of this achievement and thankful to our team members, clients and subcontractors for making this anniversary possible. Al-though there are many factors contribut-ing to our success, the most significant is

Cadence McShane Construction is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Like the various plantings there, parking problems at The Dallas Ar-boretum had been growing for

years. With attendance rising, the new Children’s Adventure Garden addition and the loss of a lot used for parking overflow, it was time to address replace-ment and garden parking needs. Building a new parking garage at 8720 Garland Rd. seemed to be the solu-tion, but neighbors had mixed reviews on a proposed six-level parking struc-ture. With input from neighborhood or-ganizations, a five-level garage with the potential for a 6th level addition was pro-posed. The Arboretum board then en-gaged Good, Fulton and Farrell Archi-tects (GFF) to develop a parking master plan. Once a plan was in place, the Rog-ers-O’Brien Construction team – project director Leon Davis, senior project man-ager Tim Storms, senior superintendent Steve Pesnell, superintendent Aaron

Flores, assistant project manager Kyle Fletcher and safety superintendent Scott Basler – was brought in to con-struct the $27 million parking garage. Many challenges faced the team, in-cluding how to complete the 156-ft. pe-destrian tunnel on an aggressive 13–month schedule while accommodating the garage’s ongoing structure. To achieve this, the Rogers-O’Brien team uti-lized a hybrid garage system to keep the project on track. The two levels of below grade parking included excavation per-formed by AR Daniel Construction, who hauled out 700 loads of spoil materials while hauling in tunnel construction ma-terials using a singular vehicular ramp. During the tunnel excavation, a shoring method consisting of a steel plate and prefabricated custom I-beams bent on a radius were used, allowing simultaneous single operation and excavation. The

The nature-inspired Dallas Arboretum Parking Garage B-1 & UWPhoto credit: ©Nathan Shands

Sixty-five years ago in a Snider Plaza office, Southern Methodist Univer-sity and John Hopkins University

grad Dr. Albert H. Halff opened his con-sulting firm, Albert H. Halff, Consulting Sanitary Engineer, which would later be renamed Halff Associates Inc. At the time, he planned to offer what today would be considered environmental en-gineering. But the next decade would be a learning curve for Halff. He realized that to make a living, his firm would need to start doing general civil work, and with the loss of a short-term business partner, he was going to need a few more helping hands. The firm had to shift direction again during the 1980s recession, adopt-ing more public sector projects and di-

versifying both geographically and in its disciplines. Because of what company president Patrick Kunz calls Halff’s “very creative, out-of-the-box thinking,” Halff Associ-ates Inc. grew into one of the Southwest’s largest engineering companies, opening 14 branch offices and employing 530 people. On Aug. 20th – what would have been Dr. Halff’s 100th birthday – the company will celebrate the visionary’s legacy and the 65th anniversary of his vi-sion. “He was very involved in the design of civil projects as Dallas grew, and as Dal-las grew, he was able to grow the firm,” Kunz says. The company expanded with

Halff Associates Inc.’s Richardson staff celebrates 65 years.

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Aug 2015

Watt a nice thing to say! Electrician/journeyman Tom O’Neal shared that he has enjoyed working for Hughes Mechanical and Electrical Contractors LLC in Arlington for the

past 10 years because he is “treated like part of the family.” –mjm

Family connectionConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Rogers-O’Brien’s Preston McAfee presents a $300,000 check to BaylorHealthcare System’s Dr. Randall Rosenblatt and Baylor Healthcare System Foundations’

Robin Robinson. The funds were raised at RO’s Pat O’Brien Charity Invitational golf tournament held Jun. 15 at Las Colinas’ TPC Four Seasons and benefitted the

foundation’s Pulmonary Fellowship program. –mjm

Submitted to Construction News

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Even though the engineering, archi-tectural, surveying and construc-tion firm LNV is celebrating its 15th

anniversary, the Texas-based firm was born, in a sense, 53 years ago. Back then, the company was known as Smith & Russo and specialized in archi-tecture and engineering services. That changed in April 2000, when Dan Leyen-decker, Derek Naiser and Robert Viera acquired the firm and originated LNV. Seven years later, it expanded its services when it took in the 44-year-old firm of Roots/Foster Associates. Now, the firm that started in Corpus Christi with seven employees has grown to more than 140 employees in its Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Harlin-gen, Laredo, McAllen and San Antonio offices. The Dallas/Fort Worth office, which opened in 2012, is the smallest of the set

LNV is XV

but boasts a sizeable list of civil engineer-ing services, specifically water and waste-water, drainage, streets and construction management. Even though the Dallas/Fort Worth office is a relative newcomer to the group, branch manager David Hawkins, PE, says the office embraces the compa-ny’s fun culture. In April, the North Texas office competed against LNV’s South and Central Texas offices in Topgolf as part of the 15th anniversary celebration. “LNV has a lot to offer the North Tex-as market in terms of overall value,” Hawkins says. “Our clients do not realize this office is LNV’s smallest because their projects have the support of such a strong team.” LNV Inc. is a full-service consulting firm comprised of engineering, architectural, surveying and construction experts serving both public and private sector clients. –mjm

LNV’s Dallas/Fort Worth branch manager David Hawkins, PE.


Bill of good

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The Dallas Fort Worth Construction News (ISSN 1547-7657) is published monthly by Construction News Ltd., dba Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News, and distributed by mail to construction related companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. All submissions should be mailed to our editorial offices. We reserve the right to edit any materials submitted. No fees for materials, copy or photographs submitted will be due unless agreed upon in advance in writing. Submissions will be published at our discretion on a space-available basis. Construction News, Ltd., dba Dallas Fort Worth Construction News, will not be liable for errors in copy or in advertisements beyond the actual cost of space occupied by the error. Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement at any time.

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There’s a new gray area in North Tex-as. Graybar opened a new Fort Worth location at 7879 Will Rogers

Blvd. in June. The 15,000-sf branch, over-seen by branch supervisor Chuck Hub-bard, will offer local deliveries, will-call, an after-hours emergency service and a sales counter serviced by Tim Clements, Armando Alvarado and Chris Prager. The branch will serve as a sub-branch to support Graybar Dallas and provide additional service to Tarrant County. Since some customers can’t wait for next-day delivery or do not have the time to drive to the Dallas location, Hubbard says the Fort Worth branch provides solutions for them. “The location of the branch was se-lected largely in part because of its prox-imity to our current customer base, which

Setting a new ‘bar’

includes industrial plants, commercial end users and contractors,” Hubbard says. “We want to grow with our custom-ers, and we view this branch as an oppor-tunity to do so in Fort Worth.” Hubbard says that Graybar’s clients are looking forward to the convenience of the Fort Worth location. “Client feedback to the opening of Graybar Fort Worth has been overwhelm-ingly positive,” Hubbard says. “Our cus-tomers in the Fort Worth area are very happy to have us here and we look for-ward to doing business with them.” Graybar is a distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services. –mjm

L-R: Graybar Fort Worth’s Chuck Hubbard, Armando Alvarado and Tim Clements

The veteran unem-ployment rate is a full point higher

than the national average. At the same time, the con-struction industry is expe-riencing an alarming la-bor shortage. Where is the discon-nect? National Roofing Partners’ sales and mar-keting coordinator (and army veteran) David Hu-val and president Dale Tyler believe it involves how the G.I. Bill is struc-tured. Huval left college and enlisted in the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist at-tacks, spending part of that time deployed in Iraq. Because he had signed up for the G.I. Bill, he could afford to return to his studies at Texas Tech University and find employment with NRP. He acknowledges, however, that using those funds is a complicated process not always clearly explained to veterans. More importantly, a lot of veterans are unaware that the G.I. Bill covers more than just a 2-year and 4-year college education. According to Huval, the G.I. Bill can be used for several different educational programs including correspondence training, entrepreneurship training, flight training, undergraduate and graduate degrees, licensing and certification reim-bursement and vocational/technical training. Tyler says the recession caused work-

ers to leave the construc-tion industry in droves and that major projects are be-ing shelved due to the la-bor shortages. It is the rea-son he and Huval endorse House of Representatives 2551: Veterans’ Entry to Ap-prenticeship Act. If passed, the bill would ensure that veterans have the ability to use their G.I. Bill to cover the cost of Dept. of Labor approved pre-apprentice-ship programs that teach skills and techniques to prepare them for appren-ticeship training or careers in the skilled-labor trades. “It expands veterans opportunities, helping them start promising new careers, transitioning leaders out of the military and into these industries,” he said. Tyler agrees. “It will give veterans the flexibility to use their own benefits for something

other than a college degree. College is ex-pensive and it’s not for everyone,” he says. Huval and Tyler suggest that con-tacting your local senators and represen-tatives is the key to getting HR 2551 – which currently has a 1% chance of being enacted – passed. “The more people we put this in front of, the more steam this is going to get,” Huval says. National Roofing Partners in Coppell offers a single point of contact to Tier I roof-ing contractors nationwide. –mjm

Dale Tyler

David Huval

Ruben Hernandez of Hastings Stained Concrete in Dallas seeks a bit of shade before getting back to making his concrete projects look cool on a 100°F day. –mjm

Made in the shadeConstruction News ON LOCATION


Freddie LopezOwner

freddieamerica.comGrand Prairie

(972) 202-5000www.southernfastening.com

®

DFW 972-202-5000 Houston 713-688-3781 Austin 512-248-9005San Antonio 210-481-1313 Valley 956-682-0402

The “American Dream” is one Freddie Lopez has woken up to every day since childhood. Watching his

immigrant mother work hard to provide for her family in a new country, Lopez never forgot the lesson of self-sufficiency, especially as an adult as he forged his own path in the electrical industry. As his electrical contracting company’s name – freddieamerica.com – implies, Lopez is grateful for the opportunity to live in a country where he can always make his own way, as he has for the past decade.

Your company’s name, freddieamerica.com, is so unique! What is the story behind it? I started the company in 2005, but I’ve been doing electrical work for 13 years. After I got my GED, I went to college at Mountain View College, North Lake College and University of Texas at Arlington and got my bachelors degree in business. While I went to college, I was an apprentice electrician and thought, “I can’t keep getting laid off! I want to be successful!” I kept seeing people always being laid off and just waiting for the next job that would come three to five months later. I couldn’t live like that. I grew up on conservative values and those values taught me to go out and earn a living. I got tired of being broke, so I sat down and thought about it. I thought, “My name is Freddie, and what does America do when it’s broke? It makes its own money.” So I set out to make my own money. I just started doing it for myself, and I haven’t been broke since.

What sparked your interest in becoming an electrician? Growing up, I always thought electricians were the smartest guys on earth; I still do. There is a joke that goes, “Jesus Christ was the carpenter, but God’s the electrician!”

Were you nervous at all about starting your own business? The hardest thing for me starting my own business was getting investors, people to believe in me. They said I had a great idea, but they wouldn’t invest in me. I do everything with my own money, and I have to save up. I’m still nervous every day, every day when I wake up. Even though I have about 2,000 customers, I wake up thinking, “Am I going to get another

customer today?” But I’m thanking God every day. My mother and I came to America from Puerto Rico when I was 9. She had $20 in her pocket when she came here and she lived the American Dream. She made it. She learned how to work; she was on assistance at first, but was taught how to work as an operator. She hasn’t been poor since then! As a single parent, she never gave up and she instilled in me to not give up. I’m just trying to follow in her footsteps. She’s a fighter, and I’ve got that spirit to just keep on going.

What do you enjoy about your work? Everything! I’m meeting people, helping people. I’m a trouble-shooter, so I’m always shooting trouble! I’m always finding it, and I know how to solve problems; that’s what I’m good at, and I really enjoy this. And I have freedom, freedom from being told what to do!

How would you describe yourself as a boss? I’m laid back. I’ll let them do their own thing because I know I like to do my own thing. I just lay it out, and tell them what I need and let them run, and they run. In business school, I was taught to lead in the front, to lead by example, and if they need help, go in the middle and encourage, but never take charge of them and never take over. Also, never embarrass them; I don’t like being embarrassed and I don’t like yelling at people. [Even if there is a problem] I still get the job done on time.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out? Make sure you have a good solid background education-wise; you’re going to need it. You can’t just survive on what you know, you also have to know about management. I’ve worked big jobs that could have left me bankrupt [had I not known how to manage the money].

You seem grateful for your education. I grew up with a learning disability – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I had a hard time focusing on things. I learned to use that though and that I could fix it myself without using medication by focusing. I keep a [Star Wars] Yoda keychain on me – as in, “Focus on the Jedi!” I keep him on me, and that helps me to remember to focus and overcome my disorder. When I was a kid, a teacher told me that I would never be successful because I couldn’t speak English; now, looking around, everyone has to speak Spanish! He held me back in the seventh grade to reinforce what he said to me. It was a crushing blow, but that motivated me. I told him that I would never be poor and that I would be successful. That has been my real motivator, anyone who has told me that I wasn’t going to be somebody.

Have you ever looked that teacher up to let him know his theory has been disproved? No, but I will! I never forgot his name.

I imagine your mom is pretty proud of you! So far she is, but you know how parents are, she worries! When you’re an adult, you’re on your own. She probably

wanted me to just get a job, but that’s not me; that will never be me.

What do you like to do when you’re not working? Sleep! I go to bed at 11 o’clock and get up at 5, although I hope that’s just for now. That’s all I care about, unless I’m at my friend’s ranch in Grand Prairie, and riding my horse, Oliver North. Oliver North! I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of a horse being named after a former U.S. Marines Corp. lieutenant colonel! What’s the story behind that? Oliver North was a man who stood up for what he believed in! He sacrificed it all. I’ve always admired Oliver North – him and Reagan.

Who else do you look up to? I look up to people who have made it that came out of nowhere to be successful. One person that really inspired me all of my life was Condoleezza Rice. I used to be a troublemaker and used to fight all of the time but then I read something she said, which was that she couldn’t control what people said about her, but she could control how she reacted to it. It taught me that I’m in control of my own destiny. Ever since then, my entire life has changed. Warren Buffet is another inspiration; anything he picks from the stocks, he’s successful at. He can do anything! I love Ross Perot, he’s a no-holds barred kind of guy. And, I love Donald Trump. He doesn’t have respect for anyone, but I love that guy. I have Donald Trump

power ties. I don’t get to wear them but I do have them! I know about all of the presidents; I really enjoy history. And a motto that gets me through tough times is from Winston Churchill about never giving up. I heard that one time and it stuck with me forever.

If you had the time to do more besides working and sleeping, what would you do? I like scuba diving. I’m a dive master with University Scuba International. I’ve been to Turkey and Cozumel, which has some of the best diving, beautiful reefs and sharks. I would like to travel to the parts of Europe I haven’t seen; I’ve been to Belgium, France, London and I want to go to Switzerland next. I also want to go to the Ukraine; there is a beautiful dive site there with underwater submarines. I read about it in John Grisham novels.

What professional and personal dreams do you have? I’d like to be a 50-man operation. Since I like trouble-shooting, I’m trying to find guys who like trouble-shooting. One step at a time! I’m also single, so … And, I’d like to have my own ranch right here in Texas … and not work anymore! I’ll retire doing this; I won’t work for anyone else except the customer. Based in Grand Prairie, electrical contractor freddieamerica.com provides electrical installation and service for commercial construction projects throughout the Metroplex. –mjm

Freddie Lopez believes in the American Dream so much,it’s part of his company’s unique name.


DOG dayMen on the move

The Earthmoving Contractors Asso-ciation of Texas (ECAT) held its 57th annual meeting Jul. 17-18 in Temple.

The meeting and conference included the annual skeet shooting contest, a tour of the Sandy Creek Power Station, educa-tional programs and a banquet. The 2015-16 officers elected were John Frerich, Mobile Crushing and Screening Inc., Rowena – president; Joe Ed Jenschke, Edmund Jenschke Inc., Ker-rville – vice president; and Trooper Irving, JCN Construction LLC, Canyon Lake – sec-retary. District directors elected were Dist. 1: Clint Cornell, Claude; Dist. 2: Marty Cas-ton, Robert Lee; Dist. 3: Eddie Leather-wood, Dublin; Dist. 4: Bobby Watts, Deca-tur; Dist. 5: Ed Smith, Fairfield; Dist. 6: J.D. Godby, Clifton; Dist. 7: Galen Weber, Uval-de; Dist. 8: Tommy Watson, Cuero; Dist. 9: Clint Krause, New Braunfels; Dist. 10: Ed-win Eckhardt, Fredericksburg; Dist. 11: John Puckett, Coleman; Dist. 12: Dennis Foerster, Giddings; and Director-at-Large: Chad Ottmers, Fredericksburg. –mh

New ECAT officers L-R: Trooper Irving, secretary; John Frerich, president; Joe Ed Jenschke, vice president, stand in front of a quilt made by Dorothy Willemin, DONCO, Uvalde, that was

auctioned off for the ECAT Scholarship Fund.

Skeet Shooting Grand Champion: J.D. Godby;

Runner Up: Dave Sweenet, Fort Worth

L-R: Chad Ottmers received the Distinguished Service Award for his time as president 2013

to 2015 from John Frerich, new president.

Membership Award: Edwin EckhardtSteve Barnett, regional manager for BITCO

Insurance, accepted the Appreciation Award for BITCO.

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Dallas has a new Dog house. BIG RED DOG Engineering/Consult-ing, which employs more than

100 engineering professionals in Austin, Houston and San Antonio, has expanded its reach to North Texas with the estab-lishment of a Dallas branch. The office, located at One Energy Square, 4925 Greenville Ave., Suite 1250, positions the company to serve clients in a booming Metroplex. “We opened the firm in 2009, and now six years later we’re happy to have finally landed in Dallas,” CEO Will Schni-er says. “It’s very gratifying to be in four major markets in Texas now. [Dallas] is the ninth largest market in the country and has an unbelievably high volume of construction activity and new construc-tion starts, both in multi-family but also commercial construction, so it was natu-

ral for us to expand our footprint here. Our business plan really has us being all throughout the state of Texas, so this was the next step for us.” The new office will also have a new president, Doug Barrilleaux, PE, who re-cently joined the firm as a partner. “I’m really excited about being a part of the BIG RED DOG team,” Barrilleaux says, adding that he plans to expand the Dallas team to a staff of ten by year’s end. On Jul. 22, the company hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony, inviting clients and friends to tour BIG RED DOG’s newest location, meet the team and learn about the company that is one of Texas’ 50 fast-est growing. BIG RED DOG is a Texas-based civil and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering firm. –mjm

Doug Barrilleaux, PE will lead the new Dallas office as president.

Big Red Dog Houston office president Bob Brown, CEO Will Schnier, PEand Austin office president Brad Lingvai, PE


A contractor’s guide toconstruction R&D tax creditsMichael Kuchar, CPADoeren Mayhew Houston, TX

Contractors that provide design-build services using new and innovative construction techniques and

enlist engineers and architects to provide construction services are most likely able to qualify for the research and experimentation tax credit (commonly referred to as the R&D tax credit).

Many activities required to design and construct a new building, or expand/improve an existing structure, may meet the construction R&D tax credit requirements. Specifically, activities performed by the project architects, engineers and other design service consultants (including electrical contractors doing design work, HVAC fabricators, mechanical design, etc.) are mostly likely to qualify. To maximize the benefits of any research performed during the construction of a building, it is critical to understand the design and engineering processes to identify potential qualifying activities. In most instances the delivery of architectural, engineering and certain design consulting services generally follow a standardized process that involves six phases.

Phase I – Conceptual Design This first phase of the architectural/engineering design process typically involves allocation of space (stacking and blocking), space planning, and assessment of available and required square footage. In order to determine if and how the proposed site may accommodate the overall functional and nonfunctional elements required by the client (for example, placement of personnel and equipment), the architects/engineers will most likely need to complete qualifying activities to validate it meets the specific needs.

Phase II – Schematic Design This next phase typically involves exploring the general concept of the building. Several schemes will be designed, and the building owner will select one, generally resulting in these qualifying activities: • Consideration of several alterna-tives for development of the selected space. • Determination of (on an overall basis) how each alternative may be constructed, given architectural and related principles.

Phase III – Design Development This portion of the architectural/engineering process typically involves

expanding the selected design, including assessment of alternative materials and the cost of various options. Qualifying activities take place as the architect is called upon to resolve major design issues related to fitting the selected architectural scheme into a workable overall plan.

Phase IV – Construction Documents Phase IV typically involves reducing the design concepts to precise drawings, which will be complete enough to allow permitting and final cost estimates. Since it represents indirect construction labor, this stage will typically only have qualifying credits if the drawing process reveals the need to reassess the design development.

Phase V – Construction Assistance with the actual construction process takes place during this phase, which represents direct and indirect construction labor. In most cases you would not have qualifying construction R&D activities unless rework or change orders require the design from the development stage be reassessed.

Phase VI – Commissioning/Testing This final phase of the architectural/engineering process typically involves certification that the structure has been assembled successfully. Due to this phase being related to the quality control process, the only instance in which qualifying activities may occur would be if testing identifies necessary rework, which in turn leads to reassessment of the initial design.

Cashing in on Construction R&D While the architects and engineers typically engage in some activities that might qualify as construction R&D, the extent varies. For this reason it is important to have your construction CPA perform a detailed analysis to mitigate any risk during an IRS exam.

Michael Kuchar, CPA, is a shareholder and leader of Doeren Mayhew’s dedicated Construction Group in Houston. A top 100 U.S. firm, Doeren Mayhew’s CPAs and business advisors serve more than 500 suppliers and general and specialty contractors doing business domestically and abroad. For more information, visit www.doeren.com.

Construction ergonomicsMark Gaskamp, CSP, CRM, CIC, CPCU, ALCMManaging DirectorWortham LLC Austin TX

What is the leading cause of lost time accidents in construction? The answer is lifting and material

handling.

In fact, over 1/3 of all lost time injuries in construction are associated with strains/overexertion. Yet there is nothing within OSHA 1926 that addresses strain or ergonomic injuries. Because there is no specific OSHA requirement, many organizations fail to address this critical worker safety/ injury risk in the workplace. Back and shoulder injuries are also the driving force behind most workers compensation experience modifiers. One or two bad backs can ruin an experience modifier for the next four years, costing thousands of dollars in increased workers compensation premiums. Construction is hard work and requires physical effort to get the job done, so should we just throw up our hands and say, that is just part of the business? No, there are specific things that can be done to reduce the risk of strains and material handling injuries. So what can you do to control these types of injuries? A good start is to follow the guidelines outlined in the ANSI A10.40- Reduction of Musculoskeletal Problems in Construction. This consensus standard offers a process for addressing “musculoskeletal problems” from identification to injury management. For more information on the ANSI standard you may obtain a copy at http://webstore.ansi.org. Below are industry best practices that have helped reduce the risk for ergonomic injuries. Identify High Risk Tasks: Many organizations have had great success implementing JSA’s (Job Safety Analysis) to identify and address safety issues for specific job tasks. The question is have these been looked at from an ergonomic perspective? A job analysis should be completed for jobs that inherently create the potential for strain injury. Taking a little bit of time to look at the jobs and step back and analyze them can pay big dividends. If you have a safety committee in place, this can be a great project to add value to the company’s bottom line. Identify Safe & Unsafe Work Practices: A recent study showed that over 60% of the worker injuries do not have a specific OSHA standard which applies to the source of the accident. Does your job site inspection checklist only include OSHA standards? If so, you

are missing over half your accidents. For ergonomics it is imperative to add “unsafe material handling behaviors” to your job site inspection checklists. Individual accountability: Just like any other safety initiative, workers must be held accountable for poor behaviors. If workers fail to use proper lifting techniques or specific material handling requirements it is imperative that supervisors counsel them just like any other safety violation. Employee involvement & capabilities: Making sure employees are fit for work can help avoid muscle strain. Many organizations have found success in implementing simple stretches prior to the work shift (at the tool box meeting is a great idea). Some of you may be visualizing your job site foreman instructing calisthenics on the job site at 6am, although that might not be a bad idea. Providing simple stretches, for upper extremities, back, and hamstrings can provide good blood circulation and prepare the muscles for their shift. One other benefit from a claim perspective, especially the “Monday morning claims,” is supervised stretching. This can identify off the job injuries before the shift starts. Accident review: In my experience, the worst accident investigations are those for material handling injuries. Why? Because it’s hard, and it takes time to determine what exactly caused the injury. Many times there is not a specific event as is the case for a fall, burn, cut or many other incidents. But I can assure you, without investigating the exact cause and evaluating what steps that can be taken to prevent reoccurrence, it will happen again. Injury management: Lastly, if you are not already part of the claim and injury management process, become engaged. It is imperative that opportunities to return to work are identified to reduce lost time claims and indemnity payments for injured workers. The recent experience modifier calculation changes make this even more important from a financial standpoint.

Mark Gaskamp is a managing director for Wortham Insurance & Risk Management in Austin. For more information contact Mark at (512) 532-1536 or [email protected] or visit www.worthaminsurance.com

L-R: Matthew Hinson managed projects for EMJ Corporation, Structure Tone Southwest and Gilbane Building Company before founding Rollout Inc., a Cloud-based drawing

management software company serving construction and engineering markets. On Jul. 9, Hinson, product developer James Wagner and co-founder Alejandro Jacobo introduced the award-winning product to Regional Hispanic Contractors Association members. –mjm

Drawing board


OSHA delays enforcement of new Confined Space Rule for constructionJoann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occu-pational Safety and Health Adminis-

tration (OSHA) today announced a 60-day temporary enforcement policy of its Confined Spaces in Construction stan-dard, which becomes effective Aug. 3, 2015. The agency is postponing full en-forcement of the new standard to Oct. 2, 2015, in response to requests for addi-tional time to train and acquire the equip-ment necessary to comply with the new standard. During this 60-day temporary en-forcement period, OSHA will not issue ci-tations to employers who make good faith efforts to comply with the new stan-dard. Employers must be in compliance with either the training requirements of the new standard* or the previous stan-dard. Employers who fail to train their employees consistent with either of these two standards will be cited. Factors that indicate employers are making good faith efforts to comply in-clude: scheduling training for employees as required by the new standard; order-ing the equipment necessary to comply with the new standard; and taking alter-native measures to educate and protect employees from confined space hazards. OSHA issued the Confined Spaces in Construction final rule on May 4, 2015. The rule provides construction workers with protections similar to those manu-facturing and general industry workers have, with some differences tailored to the construction industry. These include

requirements to ensure that multiple em-ployers share vital safety information and to continuously monitor hazards – a safe-ty option made possible by technological advances after the manufacturing and general industry standards were created. OSHA requires a competent person eval-uate and identify confined spaces on the job site. The rule makes the controlling con-tractor, rather than the host employer, the primary point of contact for informa-tion about permit spaces at the work site. The host employer must provide infor-mation it has about permit spaces at the work site to the controlling contractor, who then passes it on to the employers whose employees will enter the spaces (entry employers). Likewise, entry em-ployers must give the controlling con-tractor information about their entry pro-gram and hazards they encounter in the space, and the controlling contractor passes that information on to other entry employers and back to the host. As men-tioned above, the controlling contractor is also responsible for making sure em-ployers outside a space know not to cre-ate hazards in the space, and that entry employers working in a space at the same time do not create hazards for one another’s workers. OSHA estimates the confined spaces rule could protect nearly 800 construc-tion workers a year from serious injuries and reduce life-threatening hazards.

[email protected] x232

L-R: Underground Products of Texas’ Chris Dunn, the National Utility Contractors Association’s Deana Butorac, Frost’s Jill McKean, Vermeer’s Kelli Meyer, Romco’s

Matt Chapman and U.S. Shoring’s Chad Pendley cooled down with some cold ones at Grapevine’s Brickhouse Tavern and Tap on July 16. The happy hour was NUCA North

Texas chapter’s last until November. Bartender, can they have another? –mjm

Brew crewSubmitted to Construction News

Sine Die: The 84th TexasLegislative sessionWest W. Winter, PartnerMcNelis + Winter, PLLCSan Antonio, TX

“This building fires the heart and excites the reflections in the minds of all…the architecture of a civilization is its most enduring feature, and by this structure shall Texas transmit herself to posterity…” Temple Houston at the dedication of the Texas State Capitol.

I had the honor and privilege, in connection with my service as a

member of the governmental affairs committee of the South Texas chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, to participate in the ABC–Texas Legislative Day at the State Capitol in Austin. This was a fantastic experience for me and a personal way to participate in our legislative process on behalf of Texas contractors. I can say without a doubt that we in the construction industry are extremely well represented by the people and efforts of the ABC and other pro-construction organizations. The following legislative issues were identified as beneficial to Texas builders and contractors and worthy of support going into the 84th legislative session which ended on June 1, 2015:Neutrality in State Government Contracting: Legislation to require neutrality in bidding and awarding construction contracts by preventing governmental entities from requiring the use of project labor agreements for projects that use state resources.Retainage/Trust Fund: Legislation assuring that statutory retainage requirements be enforced and that statutory retainage become construction trust funds to secure payment to contractors and subcontractors.Lender Notice: Legislation requiring lenders to notify those performing work on a project that the funding for the project has ceased.Criteria for ADS Scoring: Legislation requiring consistency and transparency when alternative delivery systems are used.Taxes - Franchise and School Finance: Legislation which reduces, phases-out or repeals the Franchise tax and prevents or minimizes additional taxes on the construction industry.State Breach of Contract: Legislation providing for consistent waiver of sovereign immunity for construction contracts with all governmental entities in Texas.Worker Misclassification: Legislation which increases penalties for knowingly and flagrantly misclassifying employees, but protecting contractors from being penalized for the hiring decisions of others, good faith mistakes and arbitrary agency decisions.

In a win for all business, House Bill 32 reduced the franchise tax rate by 25 percent. While no other legislation was ultimately passed which specifically addressed the above priorities for a myriad of reasons, the ball was moved forward for the construction industry, and we are not presently aware of any legislation that adversely impacted our industry in a significant way. This is a positive given that more than 6,000 bills were filed in the Texas House and Senate combined. Also, most of these priorities will be teed up for the 85th legislative session in 2017. At that time, it is likely that lien law reform will also be a top priority for many groups.Some Other Bills of InterestConstruction Funding: Significantly, the Legislature approved approximately $4.5 billion in construction funding, including $1.5 billion in general appropriations (HB 1) and $3 billion in higher education construction to be funded through tuition revenue bonds (HB 100). Condo Defect Claims: House Bill 1455 adds provisions to the Texas Property Code relating to prerequisites for filing suit or initiating arbitration proceedings for defect or design claims by owners of condominiums with eight or more units. Open Carry: Although open carry is not a construction issue, it is an issue which received a great deal of media attention. House Bill 910 allows, subject to the many requirements, regulations, and restrictions contained within the legislation, those licensed to carry a concealed handgun to carry handguns openly in holsters worn either on a belt or over the shoulder. With the passage of this legislation, Texas reportedly joins 44 other states that also allow some form of open carry. The open carry legislation will become effective Jan. 1, 2016, and it is important that all employers become aware of the implications of the new law.

West W. Winter is a partner at McNelis + Winter, PLLC. A LEED Green Associate, West serves on the board of the Construction Law Section of the San Antonio Bar Association and has been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in San Antonio for Construction Litigation. West can be reached via email: [email protected].

Helping Dad out! Chris Aleman co-owns Aleman Excavation Services LLCwith his dad, Paul Aleman, who established the Dallas company in 1966

“before I was even born!” Chris jokes. –mjm

Second-generation serviceConstruction News ON LOCATION


TACCA comes back

The Lone Star State’s Air Condition-ing Contractors Association (ACCA) is now an independent entity again.

ACCA Texas reclaimed its previous name, Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Asso-ciation (TACCA) as of Apr. 1. Well known as TACCA since its found-ing in 1969, the state entity changed its name to ACCA Texas in 2000 when ACCA National brought chapters into affiliation under a federated structure from the top down starting with the national office, according to Todd McAllister, TACCA ex-ecutive director. Since the chapters were affiliated at the national, state and local level, mem-bers were required to pay dues to all three entities. Earlier this year, ACCA made the decision at the national level to forego federation. Now, TACCA is sepa-rate from ACCA, and though McAllister says they still encourage members to join ACCA on the national level also, national membership is no longer required. Mem-bers will only have to pay dues to their local chapter and the overseeing state entity, TACCA. Though the name and logo have changed, McAllister and David Mathews, TACCA president, assure members that the local and state levels will continue with business as usual, offering the same services and hosting the same events as always. The 10 chapters that comprised ACCA Texas also remain the same under TACCA. Those chapters include Abilene, Austin, Coastal Bend, Greater Houston, High Plains, North Texas, Rio Grande Val-ley, Greater San Antonio, South Plains and Waco. In the 15 years under the name ACCA Texas and McAllister’s tenure as the state association’s executive director, he ex-plains that the disaffiliation from national came about because everything about association business models and the way

a nonprofit trade organization operates have changed. Mathews adds that na-tional did the billing for all the state and local chapters, which was approximated to require about 400 different billing structures for dues across the country. The change will allow the TACCA board of directors to run the organiza-tion with autonomy. The only difference was that they had to adjust the dues structures for the local and state levels. The new organizational structure will benefit smaller contractors in the HVAC industry, as Mathews recalls that several small contractors could not afford to pay dues to all three levels of the asso-ciation and subsequently left ACCA. McAllister observes that since returning to the familiar TACCA name, they’ve seen several small contractors come back. Mathews notes, “I think it’s a positive adjustment for contractors throughout the state, and I think it’s going to be a re-ally good thing for us.” –mh

David Mathews, president of TACCA

The Mechanical Contractors Associa-tion (MCA) of Texas held its 2015 an-nual Conference & Products Show

Jul. 8-12 at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa in Bastrop. The event hosted 332 attendees from across the state. Speakers at the event included Tom Stone, MCA of America president-elect, and Dr. Linda Talley on nonverbal com-munications and behaviors. The confer-ence offered educational programs such as a construction technology forecast, minority participations in Texas construc-tion, and an economic outlook for Texas and the U.S. In addition to the annual products and services show, attendees enjoyed a golf tournament, dinner and dessert par-ties, a casino night, an awards luncheon, and a closing dinner reception complete with entertainment by magician Billy Riggs. –mh

Dinners and a show

L-R: John and San Juana Tezel, Tezel & Cotter, San Antonio, and Jim Reynolds, MCA Texas, Austin, attended the MCA Texas 2015 annual conference.

Caddy was one of many vendors exhibiting at the product show.

Leagues of fun

Fire protection contractors from across the state played golf and went fishing at the Skins & Fins Tour-

nament held at South Shore Harbour Re-sort in League City in June. Folks also attended continued edu-

TXFSCA members have fun at the golf tournament .

Attendees stay up to date in their industry at a continuing education class.

cation classes, a table top vendor show, a buffet style dinner and a pool party. The Fire Sprinklers Contractors Asso-ciation of Texas (TXFCA) hosted the event. –ab

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BAFFIN BAY –– LAGUNA MADRE –– LAND CUTSPECKLED TROUT –– REDFISH –– FLOUN DER

FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS

STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC

(361) 813-3716(361) 334-3105

www.baffi [email protected]

U.S. Coast Guard &Texas Parks and Wildlife Licensed

Preparing forSummer Heat

by Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by:Premier Yamaha Boating Center, Majek Boats, E-Z Bel Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Ag-

gregate Haulers, ForEverlast Hunting and Fishing Prod-ucts and Columbia Sportswear.

The heart of the summer has arrived and heat will become a factor on the water for both fish and an-glers. You can expect 95- to 100-degree days for

the next month, so staying cool and hydrated will be your main concerns. Drink plenty of fluids and steer clear of beer and alcoholic beverages while in the heat. Let’s move on to what you can expect the fishing to be like for the month of August. We will continue to work the areas in the Upper Lagoon south of the JFK Causeway to Baffin Bay. This stretch of the bay is still producing good boxes of trout and reds along grass edges and sand pockets with croakers and piggys. The key to catching these fish is to stay on the move. With the water clarity being so clear, you’re not going to

catch as many fish in one spot as you would if it was a bit more off-color. Fish seem to be a little more comfort-able in dingy water because they can’t see you and your boat. Another benefit to a successful fishing trip is to get an early start. Low light conditions have proven to be key factors in getting a good start to your day, not to mention fishing some of the more popular spots before

Debbie Morris of San Antonio caught this 27” redfishlast month south of Baffin Bay on live croaker fishing

with Capt. Steve Schultz.

boat traffic scatters the fish in the area. Use cloudy days to your advantage when planning your next move. I’m always thinking ahead for my next move. Study the area while the sun is bright and make sure you’re going to be set up correctly. If you try to move while a cloud is block-ing the sun, you’re probably not going to be in the right spot, therefore having to move again and fouling up the area. Moving on further south, the Baffin Bay complex is still producing some good fish. The deeper rocks seem to be the most popular spots with water temperatures nearing 87-88 degrees by mid-day. Wade fishing can be very effective early mornings and late evenings in the shallower areas of east Kleberg and Starvation point. Another area not to be overlooked is the Badlands at the mouth of the bay. Shallow grass beds and scattered rocks have been producing both reds and trout on live croakers. Over the past several weeks I have drifted this area late in the day and it has paid off for me. Most of the boats have cleared out by noon and that seems to be the key to catching fish in this area. For those not willing to brave the rocks in Baffin Bay, there are other areas closer to the JFK which can be very productive. North of the bridge before entering Corpus Christi Bay is the Boat Hole. This area holds large num-bers of schooling fish coming in from the Gulf through Packery Channel. Specks are sure to be found in the deeper waters near the Naval Air Station and redfish can be chased over the flats under the power lines. Just a few miles into Corpus Christi Bay is another prime habi-tat for the above species. Shamrock Cove is another popular fishing area offering protection against high winds and heavy boat traffic. It’s a great area to fish out of a kayak if you don’t own a boat. This pristine fishery can be accessed off Hwy. 361 across from the Twin Tow-er Condo’s. Trophy trout and redfish have been caught in this bay system throughout the summer. To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at [email protected] Good luck and Good Fishing.

Have an outdoor photo or storyyou’d like to share?

Send to:

[email protected] call Melissa at 817.731.4823


Half or Full Day Fishing Trips

All Bait, Tackle & EquipmentFurnished

Your catch Filleted andBagged for You

Furnish your TPWD FishingLicense & Refreshments,

and WE DO THE REST!

Ken Milam Guide Service(325) 379-2051

www.striperfever.com

Ken Milam’s Fishing LineSince 1981, Ken Milam has been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country,. You can hear Ken on radio on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 6-8

AM on AM 1300, The Zone – Austin, or http://www.am1300the zone.com

Buyers Barricades vice president Ja-son Garrett knew he might score some big game on his recent South

African safari hunt, but he had no idea he would set a record. In addition to the many exotic ani-mals he nabbed at Ingwe Safaris, includ-ing blue wildebeest, blesbok, impala and gemsbok, Garret took down a whopper of a waterbuck, which has earned a spot in the Rowland Ward’s Records of Big Game book. “The waterbuck was [shot on] the last hunt on the last day, and we had seen that waterbuck that morning but he was

Safari, so good

a good mile off,” Garrett says. “Just our luck, we came across him that evening and I got him. We got up to him and Lieb [DuRann of Ingwe Safaris] just started go-ing crazy and said ‘You just killed a water-buck of a lifetime!’ The waterbuck’s horns that are in the record book start at 28 in., and the horns on mine were 32 in. long. That was by far my favorite harvest.“ “It was a really good trip,” Garrett says. “My brother, who is five years younger than I am, and I had never taken an outing like that together, so for us to go and hunt together was just an incred-ible experience.” –mjm

Garrett’s record-breaking waterbuck

continued on Page 11

just like that old sweet song from Etta James!

It finally rained a good flood on North Central Texas, the Lake Buchanan watershed! Back about Memorial Day, most of the serious flooding missed our watershed, but we did get enough to soak the parched earth and bring up our lake level eight feet. The most recent flooding happened so far north of Lake Buchanan that we hardly received a drop of rain, but we could see the tall clouds and radar showed a train of heavy show-ers that just went on and on. This time, after a few days to run downstream to us, Lake Buchanan came up another 10 feet. That’s 18 feet in the last few weeks! Only a dozen more feet would see us about full for the first time since 2007. It is a magical thing when a parched lake and riverbed see the return of water. The first sign of returning lake life is the singing of the frogs. Somehow at just the very hint of impending moisture the lake bed turns to a loud symphony of little froggy voices as they spread the word that good times are coming and they are

At Last . . . .looking for a mate. You can’t believe how many there are all of a sudden and you wonder where they’ve been hiding. Next, in just the first inch or two of water, you see the minnows scurrying along through the flooded weeds. The river has been awfully shallow and a quarter mile away from the new shore-line, but somehow they are coming back home in droves! Right behind the minnows come the herons. Great blue herons, green herons, Louisiana herons and night herons start scouting the returning coves and skirting the new shorelines. Many of these have been nesting out in the cattails and drift-wood stacks in the river and have babies to feed. They don’t waste any time chow-ing down on whatever frogs and snakes are handy and probably not passing up any waterlogged mice and rats that hap-pen by. By now the catfish have smooth round white bellies from all the grass-hoppers and other insects that are going under, and the carp are shuffling around in the shallows for scraps. By the next morning you can begin seeing shad flipping in the still water and the flashes of the gars chasing after them.The water’s back. The full dinner table is set. Give the flood water a week or two to decay whatever needs it and settle back to being lake water and we will have an unrivaled fishery on Lake Buchanan! The drought lasted so long that the new willow, cottonwood and sycamore trees had years to grow up to 20 or 30 feet tall. Even when the lake does fill completely up, there will still be thou-sands of acres of shady treetops above the surface. Now when you set off across the lake on the upper end of Buchanan you will see a labyrinth of trees and blue water that lead to the almost forgotten upper reaches of the lake and all the fish-ing and sightseeing beauty you can imagine, complete with all the waterfalls and wildlife we haven’t seen in years. Lady Buck is back at last!

Before and after the rains came


Texas AirSystems partner Rusty Vaughn, and his

roaring red Harley are always up for an adven-ture. They found one in the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, a cross-country motorcy-cle trek starting in Carlsbad, CA and end-ing in Daytona Beach, FL. The ride brings to-gether celebrities, ride sponsors, motorcycle enthusiasts and local communities to raise money and awareness for Victory Junc-tion, a camp for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Along the more than 2,800 mile route, Vaughn took in breathtaking views in AZ, NM, TX, and LA, met interesting characters, posed with a few celebrities and made a difference.

Harley and him

“It’s not every day you have the op-portunity to literally start on the Pacific Coast and ride to the Atlantic Coast, while raising money for a worthwhile charity, The Victory Junction Gang Camp, as well!” Vaughn says. –mjm

Rusty Vaughn and his 2009 Orange Harley Road Glide

Just a regular pit stop for the riders.

Vaughn and former NASCAR driverRichard Petty

Vaughn and pro athlete Herschel Walker support the cause.

continued from Page 10 — Safari, so good

Blue wildebeest

Blesbok


What was your first job?I was born and raised on a dairy farm, so that was a lot more work; we used to milk about 240 head of cattle twice a day. But my first real job was when I washed cars at my uncle’s dealership when I was a sopho-more in high school. It was an okay job. It was great to do that after school, have a little extra spending money. If anything, it helped me appreciate and keep my vehi-cles extra clean now; my wife always tells me that I’m really picky about our vehi-cles! Maybe I learned something back then and didn’t even realize it until now!

Kevin Rowland, BETCO Scaffolds

My first job was working in the cafeteria at the local high school during the lunch hours. I was a student version of a lunch lady for breakfast and lunch! It was nice because back then minimum wage was $5.15 an hour, and I only worked eight hours a week, so it was nice to have a little bit of money in my pocket at 14 years old when you can’t really get a real job yet. There were challenges – obviously there were jokes that came with it – but my friends did get a slightly larger handful of French fries! It was a good experience, and it instilled a lot of work ethic in me.

Ray Shaffer, EyeSite Surveillance Inc.

My first job was delivering furniture for a friend’s dad who owned a furniture store. I started working for him when I was 15 or 16 years old. It taught me to work hard!

Chuck Hubbard, Graybar

My first job was when I think I was 13. I lived out in the country around Lubbock, and we had farms all around us. For a summer job, I worked for the guy that farmed the field next to us. I sprayed weeds for a summer. My dad made sure that every summer I had a job lined up and that it was a hard, sweaty job, moving furniture or installing garage doors. He always had a friend that needed help during the summers.David Huval, National Roofing Partners

I worked at a golf course; I was in charge of the golf barn! I washed the golf carts, cleaned them, found the leftover beer in the cart and drank it …

Jeff Schuessler, Site Barricades

I stocked groceries at a local grocery store. It was fun; I grew up in a really small town so everyone I knew, my friends, their parents and the people I grew up with, came in. It was minimum wage, since we were all 16 years old.

Lando Peña-Alfaro, Urban Structure

I worked in a Mexican restaurant in Ohio. I actually worked under the table and I got paid $5 an hour to do dishes. I was working with some guys who were “troubled teens” and I was being paid more than they were, and they didn’t like that. They ribbed me a lot, but it was still fun. It was fun to have my own money as a teenager and be able to split it with my younger brother so that we could go to the movies and buy junk food. We were able to do things a lot of teenag-ers weren’t able to do because I had a little money, which was pretty cool.

Leslie Seaton, Acme Brick

When I was 14, I worked as a warehouse helper for Schaeffer Oil. I learned how to drive a forklift, and it was actually a lot of fun for a summer job. I basically worked the warehouse and made sure everything was organized as far as the drums of oil that got put on the truck for delivery. It was a great job.

Wes Dickinson,TimberBlindMetroShade

I worked at a supermarket by Lake Whit-ney when I was 15 or 16. I was unloading the truck at 5am and getting the truck’s stock put away before 7 then I would go to football practice. On Saturdays, I would sack groceries or whatever they needed.

Robert Shaw, Weldon Contractors


Getting an Eye-ful

Members from both the Fort Worth and Dallas chapters of the Independent Electrical Contrac-

tors Association (IEC) were on the fast track for fun at Grand Prairie’s Lone Star Park. The group enjoyed dinner in the Silks dining room and a bit of betting on the ponies at the IEC’s annual Night at the Races event held Jul. 16. –mjm

Off to the races

Eastridge Workforce Solutions’ Scotti Johnson-Ramirez and James Logue

IEC training directorHank Strittmatter and wife Frann

Tutor Electrical Service Inc.’sBobby and Diana Tutor

L-R: Walker Engineering’s Mike McAdams, PCL Contract Bonding Agency’s Eric and Melissa Lesch, Angelique and Kevin Richardson of Kevco Electrical and Stephanie Patterson

and Chris Gonzalez of Kevco Electrical

Hats off to her!Submitted to Construction News

Steele & Freeman Inc.’s Dena Rowland (center with thumbs up) was elected director for the National Association of Women in Construction’s newly-formed South Central Region.

Rowland will be installed at NAWIC’s 60th annual Meeting and Education Conference in Nashville in September. She currently serves as NAWIC’s Fort Worth chapter president and will oversee 16 chapters in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and

Louisiana as director on the national board. –mjm

A re(Fresher) course on the current state of sustainable design and topics that have a local impact was

held at the Addison Conference and The-ater Center on Jul. 21. The annual “NTX Sustainable Showcase 2015: (re)Fresh & Local” was hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council’s North Texas chapter and the Dallas chapters of the American

Sustainability showcase

L-R: ACME Brick’s Leslie Seaton and Bautex Systems’ Wesley Thorpe

Texas Specialties & Installation Inc.’s Randy West and Cindy Jones

Headwaters Construction Materials’ Manny Ramos and Dee Cassell

TimberBlindMetroShade’s Bianca DiPasquale and Wes Dickinson

Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment and the Construction Spec-ifications Institute. Exhibitors showcased the latest in sustainable products and speakers, including keynote speaker Ron Rochon FAIA LEED AP of the Miller Hull Partnership, who educated attendees on sustainability issues. –mjm

EyeSite Surveillance Inc.’s usual gig is supplying temporary security so-lutions for construction sites so that

equipment or materials are protected from theft. Once in a while, however, the com-pany is hired to protect a different kind of site. Recently, the ESS team worked with the Flower Mound police department to secure Bakersfield Park, which was host-ing a youth baseball tournament and a Fourth of July Festival with fireworks, a 38 Special concert, vendors, a car show and 20,000 guests. Texas operations manager Ray Shaf-fer says ESS has some event experience but the advanced technology used for this one made it a “first.” “With 20,000 people and 38 Special, the City of Flower Mound police depart-ment and special management team wanted to make sure they had the ability in the command center to help manage the crowd for the concert, as well as give them a different view of the areas of the park,” Shaffer says. “If there was an inci-dent, they could see the cameras, re-spond to it, retrieve that video and use it in an investigation and prosecution if it came down to it.” It took a three-man team several hours to set up the solar-powered Mobile

Surveillance Units (MSUs). One MSU in-cluded a pan-tilt zoom camera near the stage and the other MSU utilized four fixed cameras in the park. Data was trans-mitted to the parks and rec building across the street, where the police had their command center, officers and spe-cial management team. The team used a temporary point-to-multi-point wireless network to transmit the data from the cameras to the control center. A wireless network was used to allow log in and ac-cess to the cameras, where the live feed could be viewed on a projector screen. The set-up was successful, but not without challenges. But the biggest was not the crowd – it was their cell phones, a problem not encountered on construc-tion sites. “The biggest challenge is making sure we’re able to transmit the signal from the equipment to a remote location without any interference,” Shaffer says. “The normal way to go about this might be to use the cell network, but with 20,000 people the cell network gets bogged down and there is very little bandwidth available, so we had to come up with a creative way!” EyeSite Surveillance Inc. in Irving offers temporary security solutions to construc-tion contractors. –mjm

The EyeSite Surveillance Inc. team install cameras for the July 4th event.



Service Providers

Labor, immigration reform top issues

Rob Cossaboon, Founder/CEOSkillforce, Inc. Bedford, TX

How would you describe the state of the construction industry in

general terms? We are seeing a significant increase in commercial construction work all across the country. Many contractors are experiencing challenges with growth and labor is a significant part of that chal-lenge.

What factors are causing this increase? The increase is due to many factors, among the largest is an economic recov-ery. There has been a lot of money sitting on the sidelines, jobs that have been put on hold for years are beginning again, and the cheap cost of borrowing money is helping things along. Many contractors that were affected by the slowdown have tightened up their businesses and have improved their balance sheets, allowing for more contractors to gain vital bond-ing requirements as well as looser lend-ing requirements.

How has this increase affected your company and how you conduct busi-ness? The increase has brought many chal-lenges, specifically finding enough skilled labor to meet the demands. Many workers left the construction industry during the recession and haven’t re-turned. This, along with the baby boom-ers continuing to retire and the next gen-eration of workers shying away from con-struction, is going to continue to make the labor market tighten.

What are the “hot button” issues in your industry? Certainly the labor shortages. Bond-ing remains an issue still for some.

What are the major changes in the in-dustry in recent years relating to the type of work you do? Again, the workforce challenges we are beginning to face. We have many jobs

that remain available in a country that continues to have tens of millions unem-ployed, which is frustrating. Also, the lack of immigration reform and the aforemen-tioned politicizing of the issue only make the matter worse. Mike Rowe, a Maryland native, is one of many who are shedding light on the problem we face, and is trying in a non-partisan way to solve the issues.

What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Sorry to sound like a broken record, but the labor challenges are a serious problem, with no real solution. Immigra-tion reform would do a lot to help solve it and help to fill skilled labor shortages. Material costs for contractors continue to climb as well. Government services have helped many, but unfortunately, the un-employment numbers don’t represent the millions of people who have simply stopped looking for work and have run out of unemployment coverage. I believe the true unemployment rate is much higher, and given the millions of jobs that aren’t being filled, this is frustrating.

What are the cost increases relating to your industry? As the labor market continues to tighten, some workers are demanding more money than what their skill set al-lows. We have seen competitors of Skill-force significantly overpay workers, which is the worst thing to do for every-

one involved. Due to the seasonal nature of the business, contractors may some-times overpay temporarily during peak times then cut those employees loose once things slow down.

How are you dealing with these chal-lenges? We continue to work tirelessly to re-cruit the best workers in the industry. We have teams of recruiters in our branches working to fill our clients’ labor needs ev-ery day through every source available.

What is on the horizon for your indus-try? Skillforce continues to explore how technology can be used to improve our service to contractors.

What are the rewards of the industry? Happy clients!

What are the keys to being successful in the industry? Working hard every day to provide a labor force that will show up on time ev-ery day, work hard and exceed our cli-ents’ expectations. Skillforce Inc. provides skilled construc-tion workers to commercial contractors on an as-needed basis. Skillforce covers all work-ers compensation insurance, payroll taxes, related HR responsibilities and manages hir-ing and dismissal of employees. –mjm

Language barriers tosafety training

Rafael C. Llera, OHSTShorm ConsultingSan Antonio, TX

In the construction industry, receiving the proper safety training to take the proper safety precautions often can

be the difference between life and death. As an OSHA-authorized outreach instructor, Rafael C. Llera, Shorm Consulting, emphasizes the importance of training your employees in a language they can understand. In 14 years of safety consulting and training, Llera has witnessed many ways language barriers impede safety training. In Texas, workers mainly speak English or Spanish, or some degree of both. With a large population of native Spanish-speaking workers, Llera says that OSHA instructs employers to train employees in a language they can understand. Many times, Llera has been called to do training in English because the foremen and superintendents know English. But when he arrives, he discovers that out of perhaps 30 students, more than half don’t understand or have difficulty following what he is saying. When Llera informs the employer that they need to divide the class into two

classes, one in English and one in Spanish, he gets a lot of pushback. He is sometimes told that the employees understand the basics or that the foremen can help expand their understanding in the field. “That’s horrible, because when you’re teaching an employee how to use technical equipment like fall protection or when you’re talking about trench safety where there’s a lot of specific language, then the employee really does not understand what you’re trying to communicate,” explains Llera, noting that a lot of the training is very technical. Technical training loaded with industry terms might not fall under a basic or even a fluent understanding of English. Llera adds that some of the workers have an understanding of English that is less than basic, and some don’t even understand any of the English language. And verbal lessons aren’t the only times when language barriers become a hindrance to training. “Now, most times, the instructor will pull up a PowerPoint presentation,” he

says. “Imagine yourself, sitting there as a Spanish speaker, and you’re having a very hard time understanding what this individual is saying. Now, he pulls up a visual with a lot of words that you cannot even read. Now, you’ve confused the employee even more. “Another thing that I see consistently throughout my training is that we have [native Spanish speakers] that sit in an English class and are able to understand what is being said, but they are not able to read in English. “That’s a big problem we face in our training, because employers will tell us that all 20 of them can understand English. I get to classroom and I start speaking to them in English and everybody’s good. But then, when I pull up the presentation or when I give them a handout in English or when I give them a test in English, they cannot comprehend that, because they understand it but they cannot read it.” He continues to point out that this also means these workers cannot read labels or signs on the jobsite. If they cannot read the materials or if they are struggling to follow the instructor’s lesson, it also makes it hard for them to ask questions, express concerns or clarify any points on which they are confused. All of this makes it harder for Llera to do his job, which is training them to be safe. “You, as an instructor, have to be able to understand your audience and be able to recognize when you have a student that has a difficulty,” he says. “Now imagine, as a student, you don’t want to ask a question, because you really don’t understand what you’re

actually going to ask, or you don’t understand what is being said. So, you have that student sitting there for two, three, four hours, and when he leaves the classroom, he leaves with questions in his mind that no one answered for him.” As a bilingual instructor, Llera also finds that people think he can train workers by switching back and forth between English and Spanish. While that might suffice for short periods of time such as “tailgate” safety meetings on the jobsite, Llera observes that this is impractical when workers are in a classroom for hours at a time. He explains that every time the instructor switches to the language that is not your native language, the brain automatically disconnects you from the training, and you are sitting there waiting until your instructor starts speaking your language again. To help clients understand how we take such language barriers for granted, Llera asks them to imagine a scenario: perhaps they go to see a movie, and when it starts, the movie is in Japanese or Chinese with no subtitles. He asks people to imagine how this would make them feel, and he points out that this is the case when they do not understand the language in which training is given. Rafael Llera does risk management and occupational health and safety for Shorm Consulting. He is also serving his second year on the Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) de San Antonio Board of Directors. Llera also served on an emergency response group during 9/11, deployed to New York for hazardous materials recognition and removal. –mh


Service Providers

Training pays off in safety benefits

Lisa MarinkovicCertified Training & Safety Inc.Port Lavaca, TX

What is your perspective about the state of the construction industry?

We have found the state of the con-struction industry to have been slow through the end of last year. We have seen a small increase over the first quarter of 2015 and it seems to be slowly picking up. Our business is dependent upon the avail-ability of the workers. When contractors demand training be done before access to a job site is granted, we get calls for ASAP training. Other companies are able to pre-dict what training will be needed and call us when they have some down time.

What factors are driving this slow-down? Low oil prices and high shipping and material costs have contributed to an overall slowdown.

How has this slowdown affected your company and how you conduct business? We’ve had to refocus our efforts and

have found we have more demand in the residential and service industries. We find more companies are able to project training needs, so we’re getting more calls for upcoming projects rather than immediate needs. This allows us to bet-ter schedule and service all our clients.

What are the major changes in the in-dustry in recent years relating to the type of work you do? Online training and blended learn-ing have had an impact on the training industry. The availability of online train-ing has given employers more flexibility as to how and when training is conduct-ed. Rather than pulling an entire crew for a day of classroom training, they have the ability to continue work while complet-ing required compliance topics.

What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? We have extremely high standards

for our instructors and finding trainers who have the experience and personality to train to the CTS expectations can be difficult. Being in South Texas, we also have a greater need for Spanish speaking instructors. Finding qualified, bi-lingual trainers can be difficult because they are in such high demand.

What is on the horizon for your indus-try? The demand for online or blended training is increasing. CTS has partnered with companies to develop interactive online training. Although we still feel in-structor led training with classroom inter-action lends itself to greater content re-tention, we understand that the younger generations feel much more comfortable using computers and are more receptive to this type of training. We are very excit-ed to complete these courses and have them available for our clients. As ordinances and laws change, so will training requirements. CTS is diligent about staying abreast of all these chang-es. We incorporate these into our pro-grams, both instructor led and our mate-rials for purchase, as the laws take effect.

What are the rewards of the industry? At CTS, our conviction and the words we live by are “Training Saves Lives!” Our

goal is to get everyone home safe to their families every day. There is no greater re-ward.

What are keys to being successful in the industry? As in any industry, honesty, integrity and a good work ethic are keys to suc-cess. Our clients are our number one pri-ority. We understand that the construc-tion industry does not run 9-5, and we make ourselves available to them at all times, via phone call, email or text. We genuinely believe in what we do and feel that it shows. Our clients know how pas-sionate we are about their safety and they appreciate that. It creates loyalty and repeat business. We listen to our clients and what they need. If they need a topic we do not provide, we will develop a program for them. We are regularly upgrading our credentials to keep up with industry re-quirements and customer requests. Certified Training & Safety, Inc. was in-corporated in 2009 and provides classroom instruction for PEC SafeLand/SafeGulf, OSHA, MSHA, heavy equipment (both op-erator and train-the-trainer), First Aid/CPR/AED and HAZWOPER. The company also develops and produces OSHA compliant training materials for purchase to conduct in-house training. –cw

Equipment rental continues to rise

Tom Hubbell, Vice President of Marketing and CommunicationsAmerican Rental AssociationMoline, IL

Equipment rental industry revenues in the United States have been growing

at a high rate of speed over the last sev-eral years and that trend is expected to continue through 2019 and beyond. The American Rental Association (ARA) latest quarterly forecast from its ARA Rental Market Monitor™ subscription service indicates total revenue growth of 7.9 percent in 2015, reaching $38.5 billion in the U.S., which includes all three indus-try segments – construction/industrial, general tool and party and event. ARA’s current five-year forecast for the U.S. calls for steady growth of 7.2 per-cent in 2016, 8 percent in 2017, 7.9 per-cent in 2018 and 6.8 percent in 2019 to reach $51.3 billion.

The construction/industrial seg-ment, combined with the general tool segment, lead the way in growth poten-tial through 2019. Construction/industrial rental revenue in the U.S. is now forecast to increase 8.2 percent in 2015 to $25.9 billion, with general tool projected to grow 7.9 percent to $9.8 billion this year. By 2019, construction/industrial rent-al revenues will generate $34.9 billion with general tool generating $13.5 bil-lion. “The strong economic growth trend we’ve seen over the past few years will continue. We track the equipment rental market in the U.S. and Canada on a quar-terly basis via information from IHS Eco-nomics data. We continue to enhance

this service for our members to help them forecast rental revenue, make per-sonnel decisions and obtain financing from their banks,” says Christine Weh-rman, ARA executive vice president and CEO. There has also been significant growth in rental penetration for construc-tion equipment and industrial rental cus-tomers. ARA’s Rental Penetration Index measures the proportion of the total fleet of construction machines that are owned by equipment rental companies. The in-dex is value-based and uses original equipment cost as the primary weightlift-ing factor to calculate the ratio of rental. The increase in equipment rental can be attributed to the many benefits that equipment rental has to offer and has created a shift in the way business is done. It has become understood that renting is a way to manage and operate a business, while helping them get their projects done in an efficient and eco-nomical manner. Some of the most basic benefits of equipment rental for construction com-panies are:• Free up capital for other demands and a stronger balance sheet• Supplement your fleet with specific

equipment, allowing you to compete for more jobs• Reduced workload on equipment, maintenance and upkeep• Equipment that meets regulatory speci-fications for all types of construction jobsEliminate warehouse or storage demands To help contractors and construction companies determine whether renting is the right decision, ARA suggests the fol-lowing:Examine the cost of renting versus buy-ing and consider the time value of mon-ey. Renting may be the better choice.Estimate the time utilization of a piece of equipment. If you are not going to utilize the equipment, why pay to own it? Rent-ing is a good solution.If your jobs are varied and require special equipment, consider renting. Finding equipment rental stores is easy by using the ARA’s online rental lo-cator, RentalHQ.com. Visitors can enter the zip code where they need equipment and the type of equipment they are look-ing to rent to get a listing of area rental businesses that can meet their needs. Equipment rental should be a part of your business decisions today and for the future.

NEXT MONTHSeptember 2015 Support Your Industry’s Feature Issue

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Jan: Construction ForecastFeb: Construction SafetyMar: Construction Education

Apr: Women in ConstructionMay: Concrete IndustryJun: HVAC & Plumbing

July: Electrical IndustryAug: Service ProvidersSep: Green Building Trends

Oct: Specialty ContractorsNov: Architecture & EngineeringDec: Construction Equipment

2015Schedule

Green Building Trends


Round-Up

Association CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

AIA - DallasAmerican Institute of Architects

Aug. 13-14: METROCON15 Expo & Con-ference, Dallas Market Hall, 2200 Stem-mons Freeway

ASCE - DallasAmerican Society of Civil Engineers

Aug. 10: Branch meeting, 11am

ASA North TexasAmerican Subcontractors Association

Aug. 13: Schmooze & Mingle, Potter ConcreteAug. 21: Clay shoot, Alpine Shooting Range, 5482 Shelby Road, Fort Worth.Aug. 27: Lunch meeting, Las Colinas Country Club

DACADrywall & Acoustical Contractors of D/FW

Aug. 6: Annual Clay Shoot event, Dallas Gun Club

IEC - DallasIndependent Electrical Contractors

Aug. 20: Associate member lunch and trade show meeting, IEC Fort Worth

IEC - Fort Worth Independent Electrical Contractors

Aug. 14: Clay shoot, Alpine Gun Range, 5482 Shelby Road, Fort Worth, 8am regis-tration

NARINat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Aug. 11: Monthly meeting, Morrison Supply, 1500 Dragon Street, Dallas, 6pm

NAWIC - DallasNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Aug. 17: Dinner meeting and 60th birth-day celebration, MCM Elegante, 2330 W. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, 5pm

NAWIC - Fort WorthNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Aug. 20: Business meeting, Colonial Country Club grounds, 3916 Mockingbird Ln., Fort Worth, 5:30pm

NTRCAN. Tx Roofing Contractors Assn.

Aug. 12: Mini Trade Show, 1010 Collins, Arlington, TX

NUCANational Utilities Contractors Assn.

Aug. 5: Topgolf, 3760 Blair Oaks Dr., The Colony, TX, 5pm

PDCAPainting & Decorating Contractors of Amer.

Aug. 13: Happy Hour sponsored by PPG

PMI – Fort WorthProject Mgmt. Institute

Aug. 20: Career Night, DFW Marriott South, 6pm

SCWCPAS. Central Wall, Ceiling & Plaster Assn.

Aug. 13: Clay shoot, Elm Fork Shooting Sports, Dallas

TGA-N. Tx DivisionTexas Glass Association

Aug. 7: 3rd Annual TGA/NTD Clay Shoot, Dallas Gun Club, 3601 South Stemmons Freeway, Lewisville, 11am lunch and reg-istration

TSPE - DallasTexas Society of Professional Engineers

Aug. 12: TSPE & TxDOT Ice Cream Social, 4777 E. Hwy. 80, Mesquite

UMCAUnited Masonry Contractors Assn.

Aug. 5-7: TMC Convention, San Antonio.Aug. 14: Clay shoot

USGBC - N. TxU.S. Green Building Council

Aug. 13-14: METROCON15 Expo & Con-ference, Dallas Market Hall, 2200 Stem-mons Freeway

Sub super bowl!

(972) 459-4749www.pclbonds.com

Building suretyrelationshipsfor 30 years

PARTNERS IN CONSTRUCTION.BONDED BY TRUST.

Richardson engineer-ing and architecture consulting firm Halff Associates Inc. announces the addition of Ben Cernosek, PE. He has 29 years of municipal engineering experience serving the city of Dallas, will advise Halff on municipality issues. Cernosek received his civil engineering degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

Brandon Patton has been promoted to regional manag-er of Bartlett Cocke General Contrac-tor’s North Texas area. With the com-pany for 14 years, he has held the posi-tions of project manager and senior project manager in the Austin and San Antonio offices. Ten years ago, he be-came an employee-owner, and he will be returning to Dallas where the position is located. He earned his bachelor’s degree in construction science from Texas A&M University.

Scores of members from the Ameri-can Subcontractors Association’s North Texas chapter dressed in their

bowling best to compete in the “Split

Happens” ASA Bowling Tournament. Held Jul. 16 at AMF Euless Lanes, it was a battle of the balls as the subcontractors tried to stay in their own lane. –mjm

Zubras Electric’s “Zebra Strikes”

Dallas Door & Supply Co. won first place.

TDIndustries’ “Queen Pins”

Johnson Controls Inc.’s “Johnson Cont-ROLLERS”

General contractor R o g e r s - O ’ B r i e n Construction has hired Derek Valz as General Counsel. Valz will be respon-sible for overseeing the company’s compliance with le-gal, regulatory and ethical obligations and will negotiate contracts with owners, subcontractors and suppliers. Valz is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received his Juris Doctor from Southern Method-ist University’s Dedman School of Law.

Ascension Group Architects in Arlington promoted three of its longtime executives:Jeff Sudman was named as associate. Sudman, who joined Ascension 13 years ago as CAD draftsman and went on to become a project manager, earned his master’s degree in architec-ture from the University of Texas at Ar-lington.

David Watkins, who joined the firm seven years ago, was named associ-ate principal. Wat-kins, who holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Texas Tech Universi-ty in Lubbock, has led renovations of hospitals nationwide.

Casey Carlton was named associate principal. Carlton, who joined Ascen-sion nine years ago, previously served as project manager. Carlton earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington.


continued from Page 1 — Marking a milestone

continued from Page 1 — Cause for celebrations

continued from Page 1 — Parking where planted

our talented team members and their unwavering commitment to exceeding our clients’ needs.” The company, which promotes a fun and philanthropic culture with events throughout the year, is pulling out all of the stops to celebrate the past three de-cades. “To commemorate our 30th anniver-sary, we’ve released a celebratory logo and created a “30-for-30” campaign,” Hodges says. “We’re engaging in com-munity partnerships throughout the year by sponsoring, supporting and partici-pating in a wide variety of charitable pro-grams throughout Texas. Our commit-ment to making a difference in the lives of our people, customers and community is based upon the belief that service is an essential part of good corporate citizen-ship.”

“I’m proud to be a part of a company with a respected history and value struc-ture,” Hodges says. “From the very begin-ning, we’ve understood that high ethical standards are critical to the creation of a great company. The mantra of “Do the Right Thing” is incorporated into our core values of relentless service, honesty, re-spect, integrity and responsibility. I be-lieve that our success in our first 30 years is born from these values and will con-tinue to be the driving force into our fu-ture. Our continuous innovation will help us to grow, serving our clients and com-munity over the next 30 years.” Cadence McShane Construction is a provider of general construction, construc-tion management and design/build con-struction services for the educational, healthcare, industrial, office, government, mixed-use and multi-family markets. –mjm

Meeting the future leaders

The Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA) held its 61st annual meeting and summer

conference Jun. 24-26 at La Cantera Hill Country Resort in San Antonio. The meeting included a TACPAC fundraiser, a past chairman’s banquet and an awards luncheon. This year’s event broke the attendance record for the flagship summer conference with more than 475 attendees from across the state. Forty percent of TACA’s member companies are based in or have a presence in the Alamo City. During the conference, TACA launched its inaugural Young Leadership Development program for industry members under 35 years old. Aimed at developing the next generation of industry leadership, the program included a local community involvement effort. Forty young leader program participants volunteered more than 120 hours to move more than 1,500 pounds of dirt to repair a hiking trail in Eisenhower Park that had been damaged during the recent floods. –mh Awards:Best Plant:Ready Mix A: Argos USA, Holmes Road PlantAggregate A: Vulcan Materials Company, Mico QuarryHigh Strength Concrete CompetitionPlant Mix1st: Vulcan Materials Company (17,910 psi)2nd: Ingram Concrete (16,060 psi)3rd: Redi-Mix Concrete (15,997 psi)Laboratory Mix1st: Vulcan Materials Company (17,903 psi)2nd: Redi-Mix Concrete (16,387 psi)3rd: Argos USA-Dallas (15,143 psi)Production Employee of the Year: Pat Gavis, Batch Supervisor, Argos USATruck Driver of the Year: Lawrence Bible, Argos USA

One of TACA’s highest honors is theBob R. Beard Good Neighbor Award,

which was presented to Sherry Moore,who has worked for TACA for 25 years,

at the 61st annual meeting.

Sean Tyler, a student at Texas A&M Univer-sity in College Station, was awarded the

TACA Scholarship for $2,500 at thesummer conference.

Photos by Tim MummeyHOLCIM (US) Inc.

team utilized an innovative technique to waterproof the tunnel. This included a weldable membrane expoxied between rib beams. Sunbelt Building Services performed the waterproofing work. To save time, basement walls were formed and poured at the same time as the tunnel boring, while garage compo-nents were precast off-site. Once the basement exterior walls were ready, the hybrid garage structure was dropped into place and the concrete decks were poured one level at a time – a time-sav-ing measure compared to a conventional poured-in-place parking garage. Meanwhile, limited access to the back of the garage was complicating matters. Three sides of the garage were constructed along a zero property line and the garage was located along an al-ways-open residential street, which in-hibited staging. To overcome this, the team used just-in-time deliveries of the hybrid framing system components. This was crucial since the garage had a pre-cast skin, which would not be obtainable without using the hybrid system. The team also had to be mindful that the owner and architect did not want ex-posed electrical conduit running through the garage’s interior. To shield nearly all conduit from view, it was encompassed in the concrete slabs, concrete walls and concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls throughout the garage. Conduit was run through the precast columns and panels making up the garage’s structure. The team spent extensive time upfront coor-dinating the location of the conduit and sleeves through the precast and the cast-in-place structures. A final challenge was matching the 460,365-sf garage’s exterior to GFF’s aes-thetic vision. The Rogers-O’Brien team and design team collaborated to ensure that the exterior cladding materials and the pedestrian tunnel skylight were ap-propriate and installed on schedule. The

two-story skylight extends from Garland Road to the lower level and was built on an angle with a geometric walkable glass top. For the garage’s front, Aaron Orna-mental Iron Works fabricated the 13 or-nate latticework panels, making custom jigs for each. Each panel is a nod to the Arboretum itself, simulating the upward growth of garden vines. Despite myriad challenges, the team met their deadline and produced a 1,150-space parking garage that solved the Arboretum’s parking issues in a show stopping way. Others obviously agree; the project recently won a 2015 TEXO Dis-tinguished Building Award for Specialty Construction. General contractor Rogers-O’Brien Construction offers preconstruction and construction management services through its Dallas, Austin and Houston branches. –mjm

A pedestrian tunnel underneath Garland Road provides safe visitor access to the

garden.Photo credit: ©2015, Steve Hinds Inc.

Texas branches in Austin, Conroe, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Frisco, Georgetown, Grand Prairie Houston, McAllen, Midland, San Antonio and, most recently, Oklaho-ma City and Shreveport. The firm’s most notable area projects include Dallas’ White Rock Lake dam and spillway reconstruction and trail expan-sion, the Central Expressway reconstruc-tion, the American Airlines Center and Alliance Airport. “Those marks of Halff Associates are all over [the state], and we’re continuing to try to grow that into other parts of Tex-as and beyond,” Kunz says. A celebration is being planned to

honor those marks that Dr. Halff and his company have made over the years. “It’s a significant year for us because it would be his 100th year birthday and it’s also his 65th year anniversary,” Kunz says. “So our plan, when we get to his birthday on Aug. 20, is to do a little some-thing special internally within the com-pany. We’ll have a lunch for our employ-ees, celebrate the history of the firm, re-member Dr. Halff and talk about his en-trepreneurial spirit that made us who we are.” Halff Associates Inc. is a regional con-sulting firm providing full-service engineer-ing, architecture and related services. –mjm

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Big Star laborer Alejandro Gonzales makes the cut as he works on carpentryfor Dallas’ new C Store and Gas Station, located on 2410 S. Hampton Road.

MJR Engineering Inc. in Plano serves as the project’s general contractor. –mjm

Chairman of the boardConstruction News JOB SIGHT

Construction sites are always a mess, but nothing can foul up the view more than the unsightly porta pot-

ty. When Dallas’ Highland Park required all portable construction toilets to be shielded from public view beginning Jun. 15, construction companies started scrambling for screens. The principals at HPD Architecture and Sardone Construction, however, de-cided to hit the heads of the community’s creative minds to find a better way to go. The two companies created the “Sitting Pretty Porta Potty Screen Contest” invit-ing the public to create a prettier screen to improve the view of the loo. The contest was flush with entries, but ultimately, the eight judges thought four contestants had a canny knack for design. The winner of the throne was Brian Paletz, AIA, of BOKA Powell, whose modular aluminum frame and ce-dar siding design turned an eyesore into a sight that’s easy on the eyes. Sardone Construction owner Stephan Sardone appreciated the dual porta potty screen design.

“There is one screen for women and the other for men, which is novel for a job site,” he says. “It truly represents progres-sion in our industry as more women are entering the building and contracting profession.” Construction drawings for Paletz’s first place design will be coordinated by HPD; the screen will be built by Sardone Construction and placed on one of the company’s job sites. Each of the four con-testants who placed will receive a plaque and gift certificate at HPD’s monthly Ar-chitecture Happy Hour on Aug. 19 at BMC Design Center in Dallas. “This has been a fun and exciting competition,” said HPD Architecture principal Larry Paschall. “Each applicant exhibited talent and creativity with their entries and we received excellent ideas. Now, we look forward to seeing the entry become a reality.” HPD Architecture LLC is a Dallas-based architecture and interior design firm. Sar-done Construction in Dallas offers design-build and remodeling services. –mjm

Can do

Brian Paletz AIA won with his sleek modular aluminum and cedar screen. Matthew Jacobson’s pallet-meets-planter screen nabbed him second place.

Benton Banowsky’s ornate screenplaced third.

The “Most Creative Design” went to Black Lab Creative’s Eddie Hale, whose live oak

shaped screen impressed the judges.

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